THE TRENDSETTING RETRO LOOKS OF THE FUN AND FUNKY FIAT 500 HAS GIVEN IT A SOLID FOOTHOLD AMONG YOUNGER CITY-BUYERS.

The iconic design may hark back to the NUOVA 500 built from the 1950s to the 70s, but, unlike some retro attempts, this one works: it's a great looking little car.

Now, with a refreshed model ready to hit the streets, Fiat has concentrated less on making the 500 range a cut-price battler. Instead, the newest version gets a more up-market touch - adding more features and technology, but lifting the base price to match.

With an interior so darn cute you just want to take it home to Mum, the 500 range has always stood out from the pack. Thankfully the facelift hasn't altered its charm.

It still looks like the lovechild of a kitchen appliance from the 1950s inside, but revised details see more chome added, a few extra premium finishes -like lacquered-look power window switches, and a new 5.0-inch Uconnect touchscreen infotainment system.

There’s also vibrant new seat trims, with the 500 relying heavily on its heritage for design inspiration. This brings two-tone cloth seat trims in Pop and Lounge, or optional leather trim available as part of the Perfezionaire Pack on Lounge models.

Unfortunately, the flat and frumpy door trims don’t change, and keep the downmarket look as before, at odds with the fresh and funky look used elsewhere in the interior.

Those opting for the 500c, still the cheapest way into a convertible in Australia, have a choice of three roof colours; black, ivory, or red, with the roof mechanism electrically operated.

Seat comfort and space is surprising up front, but if you’re planning a cross-country jaunt in your 500, the lack of seat support may start to show.

Similarly, the rear seats are best left for occasional use. The 500’s compact dimensions dictate a tight rear seat, with legroom at a premium.

Swing open the tailgate and you’ll find 185 litres of cargo pace in the hatch, with a slightly smaller 182 litres on offer in the cabrio. Both variants feature the same slim door pockets, four cup holders, and a trim glovebox, but no covered centre console storage, or centre armrest.

As before, the 500 Pop features a 1.2 litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine that musters 51kW of power at 5500rpm and 102Nm of torque at 3000rpm. Those are only small figures, but that doesn’t stifle the enjoyment.

While you may not set any new record-breaking acceleration times, there’s a certain fun-factor in the 500 Pop that’s undeniable. Getting the best out of the zesty little engine is a breeze thanks to a collaborative effort from a light clutch and effortless garshift.

Throw a few corners into the mix and the 500 becomes even more of a giggle, tipping in eagerly, with body roll exaggerating the ‘angle of attack’.

Steering comes with a normal mode, or super-assisted City setting that makes it as light as feather. There’s not a heap of feel or feedback in either mode, but overall it’s a good match for the 500’s cheery disposition.

The 500 Lounge offers a more vivacious 74kW at 6000rpm and 131Nm at 4250rpm from a slightly larger 1.4 litre engine. A standard six-speed manual takes the place of the Pop’s five-speeder.

With extra urge underfoot, the Lounge is the more adventurous of the pair, able to jog along with traffic more comfortably, but also, thanks to the extra gear ratio, it’s quieter and calmer at highway speeds.

Extra sound-deadening in both models also makes a big difference to the high-speed comfort of the hatch range, however the cloth roof of the cabrio diminishes some of the added refinement.

That said, even at 80km/h and above, with the roof wide open there’s no need to raise your voice to talk to your front seat passenger. The Cabrio is also free of backdrafts and buffeting, and makes for a surprisingly comfy place to travel with the top dropped.

A further engineering change to the Pop sees larger front brake-discs and calipers fitted up front (while keeping drums at the rear). We’d never really noted a problem with the 500’s brakes previously - but upgraded hardware is only ever a good thing.

Each seat comes with an adjustable head restraint, while the front seatbelts feature load-limiting pretensioners.

RIVALS TO CONSIDER

It’s changeover time in the light car field at the moment, a facelifted Nissan Micra has already arrived, and a facelifted Mitsubishi Mirage is on the way. Holden has an all-new Spark coming soon, and the Alto-replacing Suzuki Celerio went on sale last year.

While all offer five doors in place of the Fiat’s three, none provide a cabrio option, and none quite match the levels of personalisation that Fiat’s funky city car can achieve.

TMR VERDICT | OVERALL

Despite first debuting in 2007, the Fiat 500 is still feel fresh, fun, and frolicsome - able to successfully blend twee retro cues with iconic styling like few others have managed.

Its price has it straying into the same paddock as the Polo and even into the small car segment above, which knocks off half-a-star from the overall rating.

But this little Fiat, in any model you choose, is great fun to drive and has huge personality on-road. More than just a stripped out budget commuter, the 500 is a decent little feel-good conveyance.

To use a terrible analogy, the 500 is a cup of espresso in a sea of instant coffee - in the same way that either will provide you with a caffeine jolt, you’ll happily pay more for the barista-perfected cuppa.

Likewise, the trendy 500 does exactly what a Micra or Mirage will do, but it does it with distinct style, helping to justify its price premium.

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TMR Comments

Troy | 26 Feb 2016 04:18

Being a previous owner of a Fiat 500, i would not recommend anyone to go out buy one of these vehicles, the after sales support and spare parts the the 500 no flavors at all, I had dealers telling me that don't know what they are doing, Fiat Australia claiming a 1.5PSI difference in tyre pressure was the cause of one of the fault's with the 500... just a big bunch of horse shit of excuses not to fix the fault.

F-Noze Troy | 28 Feb 2016 21:52

FCA strikes again! Poor quality and reliability combined with incompetence and I don't care. I for one will not go near FCA and their wares.